


Lies

by yeaka



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: M/M, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 05:03:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16257227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: Axel explains what it is to be nothing.





	Lies

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Fill for “a kiss to pretend” prompt on [my tumblr prompt list](http://yeaka.tumblr.com/post/176075204220/prompt-list).
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

The sunset’s always the same, but it’s still _pretty_ —the burnt gold colour around the edges of the sun remind Axel of Roxas’ hair. The red trim that borders the distance is a muted reflection of his own hair. The stained orange in between is what happens when they meet, muddying up everything, but it still works in the grand scheme of the panoramic view. Axel’s never bothered to stay and watch the sun set over other worlds, but he imagines it’d be just the same. 

He takes another bite of his sea salt ice cream and enjoys the short-lived buzz of sensation it gives him—not just the taste, but the bitter chill in his jaw. He figures if he’s going to bother eating, it might as well effect at least two senses. Unfortunately, it doesn’t smell like much.

Something wet and soft presses into his cheek, and Axel glances aside just as Roxas withdraws. Warmth instantly replaces the ice cream’s cold. Axel tries to rein his blush in before he demands, “What was that for?”

Roxas shrugs and takes another bite of ice cream. “I saw Demyx doing that to Zexion. They looked happy.”

“They weren’t happy.”

Roxas looks at Axel with that subtle frown that means he doesn’t understand and doesn’t quite believe it—like that first week where nothing got through to him. Xion hasn’t showed up yet, so it’s just the two of them, just like old times, quiet and content in their halfway existence. Then Roxas gains a bit of life and pouts. “Zexion turned bright pink, though, kinda like you...”

“That’s a natural reaction,” Axel snaps, because he’s sure he _is_ bright pink and that’s too embarrassing to handle. “But it doesn’t mean anything. They don’t have _hearts_ , Roxas.”

“So?”

“So it’s not _real_. They’re just pretending. That’s what Nobodies do—they try to relive their lost selves by imitating memories, pretending they’re alive, but they’re not.” He doesn’t know why he’s insisting on that. Some of the others repeat the same rhetoric every time, but Axel isn’t usually their mouthpiece. Not verbatim, anyway. But for Roxas kissing him to mean anything _else_ would be a mess Axel’s not authorized to fix, so he says anyway, “You need a heart to kiss.”

Some of the colour seems to go out of Roxas’ eyes. It’s a shame, because they’re usually the brightest blue that Axel’s ever seen, like clear skies or precious gems. Sometimes when Axel says things Roxas doesn’t like, Roxas will come back like he’s got Axel’s fire burning deep inside him.

But other times, he wilts like the Nobody he is. This time, he mumbles, “Okay.”

He returns to eating ice cream and watching the same old boring sunset. Maybe he looks dejected, but that’d be an emotion too.

Axel joins him in blankly staring at the distance. He feels... _sad_.

But he tells himself that too is just pretend.


End file.
